Accept No Substitutes
by Ritt-chan
Summary: Have you ever tried to replace love? Did it work? Yeah, I didn't think so.
1. Chapter 1

_**I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I wish I did... Also! There is no Kaibacest, Tabloidshipping, or whatever you call it, in this story! (Unless you want there to be! Lol)**_

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Seto Kaiba walking home from work. Who had ever heard of such a thing? He certainly never would have imagined it. He stalked home, with his briefcase in one hand and a lukewarm cup of coffee in the other, thinking about his idiot driver who "forgot" to fill up the gas tank. Kaiba scoffed._Whatever. _He thought.

He was soon taken from his thoughts as he realised that he'd wandered off into some random district of Domino City. He was mere feet away from some street party. He must have been really deep in thought if he hadn't noticed the blaring music that could be heard about a mile away. But that was Kaiba. Once he was focused on even the simplest of things, it took a lot to get him unfocused.

_I must have made a wrong turn._ Kaiba thought, turning around to retrace his steps and get out of the extremely low-class neighborhood before this party got too out of hand. As he turned to walk in the opposite direction, a small gust of wind hit the brunette in the face with a newspaper. Agitated, he threw his now cold coffee into the street. It wasn't like he cared. The place was dirty enough, so one more piece of trash wouldn't make a difference.

With his free hand he pulled the paper from his face, then stopped in his tracks. There, on the front page was a picture of none other than the current "King Of Games". The billionaire didn't even bother reading the article as he threw that to the ground too. He continued to storm away, making sure to step on the newspaper at least once.

No matter how much he tried to deny it, Yugi got to him. Just the boy's name would send shivers of disgust down his spine. _I've worked all my life for this._ He thought. _And HE gets the title that I know I deserve. The heart of the cards has absolutely nothing to do with it. He's cheating or something! But how? How is he doing it? How does he beat me every time?!_

It wasn't helpful when his thoughts drifted to more important matters, such as his poor neglected little brother. He wasn't neglected as far as his basic needs. Not only did Mokuba have clothes, they were some of the finest. And the food was no less than perfection. Their house was amazing. And Mokuba could and did have every game he'd ever wanted. But what he didn't have was his brother. And it was obvious that his brother was what he so desperately craved.

Kaiba's face wrinkled in frustration. _How is it that no matter how hard I work, there's always an imperfection? There's always a flaw! I work so that my Mokuba can have the best of everything. And it turns out that all he wants is me. Why? It's not like I could stop working..._

The brunette continued to walk away from his unknown location untill he found a place decent enough to call and wait for a cab. It was just then that he wondered what Mokuba was doing.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. I'll do my best to update weekly. Review please! ^^**


	2. Chapter 2

**I thought I should let everyone know that Mokuba is 16 here. And Seto is about 21. Enjoy!  
[I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Mokuba & Seto Kaiba.]**

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{**Several Hours Earlier**}

Mokuba's POV

I woke up to a house full of employees, as always. Housekeepers, maids, chefs, you name it. But there was no Seto. There was never Seto. He was almost never here. I think in this week alone I've only seen his about 3 times. Honestly I'm starting to forget what he looks like. So I put those thoughts aside, brush my teeth, and jump into the shower. 5 minutes later I'm getting dressed. 5 more minutes later I'm downstairs eating a rather traditional Japanese breakfast. All I really wanted was a bowl of cereal but this is nice too. Seto wants me to "remember who I am" and "remember my heritage" all this other stuff. I don't think it's a _huge_ deal but, what Seto says is pretty much the law here.

About 15 minutes pass and I'm out the door and in the car, being driven to school.

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That was the longest car ride ever. Seriously. Maybe it's because I'm tired. I sighed. _Good thing it's Friday._ I thought. Oh well. I seemed to forget about all that when I met up with my girlfriend, Raven. Her hair was in a short, kind of spiky up-do. It was dyed purple. I liked it that way. Her eyes were a light brown, and her skin was slightly tanned. I normally tell her how pretty she looks. But your neck starts to hurt after looking down at a person for so long. Okay, she's not that short. I think she's about 5ft.

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The day went by a little faster when I talked to her. And before I knew it we were at lunch. I'd just gotten finished telling her about how Seto was almost never home.

"Aww, I'm sorry, Mokie." She said, touching my hand from across the table and smiling. "But, I have some news that might make you feel a little better."  
"Oh God. What is it this time? I hope it's nothing like the edible socks idea you had." I rolled my eyes jokingly.  
"Be quiet!" She shouted, laughing. "That was a good idea. But no, this is nothing like that. You see, Joey told me about this really cool party in Downtown Domino and-"  
"Downtown Domino?" I interrupted.  
"Yeah, but don't worry. There's not a lot of crime down there anymore."

"I don't care." I said, pulling my hand from hers and leaving our table. I knew she'd follow me though. She always did.  
"Mokuba! Mokuba, wait!" She said, tugging on my sleeve, stopping me.  
I turned and looked at her. "What, Raven?" I asked.  
"Look, you were all upset about Seto and I promise, if you have a little fun you'll forget all about him, and anything else that's bothering you." She said, her eyes sincere.

Then I figured out what she really wanted. "You don't have a car, do you?" I said, smug and confident that I found out why she'd been so persistent.  
"Well... no. My licence is suspended." Raven admitted. "But!"  
"Say no more." I kissed her forehead. "It's okay. I get it. I know you care. See you at 8!" Then I ran off to my next class.

_I wonder what the party will be like..._

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_**A/N: Yaaay for chapter 2! Review please!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**I'm starting to update a little more often now. Since I have several tests this week, I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again. So you guys get an early chapter! Horray for you! Enjoy!**_

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Mokuba's POV

Getting into my blue Lexus, the one I got for my birthday recently, I drove away from the Kaiba mansion to pick up Raven. It didn't surprise me when she greeted me in her favorite pair of blue shorts. Paired with her black stiletto heels (the ones she wore everyday) and a sparkly black top. I couldn't hide the odd look that made its way onto my face. I tried to focus on the road but my eyes always found their way back to her.

Finally Raven defensively asked, "What?"  
"Nothing." I said. "It's just... you kinda look like a stripper... That's all."  
"Shut up, Mokuba!" She yelled, playfully.

_Oh no..._ Seto used to say that to me a lot. I know it's not "I love you" or anything like that, but it was that closest you could get from a guy like Seto.  
"Uhh, Mokuba? ... Mokie? You okay?" She asked, poking me in the cheek, snapping me out of a daze I didn't even know I was in.  
"Huh? Oh... Yeah, I'm fine, Raven."  
"Are you sure?" She said as we stopped at a red light. We looked into each other's eyes. She was genuinely worried about me. Not that I ever doubted her, but, it felt nice to have someone who so obviously cared about you.

"Yeah. I'm sure." I said. I had a new-found confidence. I was determined to enjoy myself tonight. No thinking about Seto, or school, or anything. Just me, Raven, and about 150 of our closest friends. I revved up the car before speeding away from the traffic light. Officially throwing caution to the wind.

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Raven's POV

We pulled up to the party and Mokuba looked a little surprised. I told him that it was a _street_ party, didn't I? The key word there being street. But he soon got over it once we turned the music up in his car. Just as we were getting out of it, some people climbed on top of it and started dancing. Eventually Mokuba made a rule that no one could dance on his car except he and I. And after we had a few drinks, he really started to cut loose. He took his shirt off after his fourth beer. I promise, there's nothing funnier than a half-drunk, half-dressed, and dancing Mokuba!

But, once again, he started talking about his brother. I never liked Seto from the day I met him. He was so... unavailable. In every way possible really. Sometimes I thought he was that way on purpose. I sighed. _Poor Mokuba._ I thought. But his rantings of Seto stopped just as quickly as they started. And then he really started to dance.

It was romantic in a way. You know, if you call dancing on top of your filthy rich boyfriend's car in the middle of a street party romantic.

But then his cell phone started to ring. _So much for our (sort of) romantic evening._

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**_A/N: Let me know how I'm doing! xoxo_**

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_**REVIEW! (If you're a little confused, everything will tie together in the next chapter.)**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thank you for all the nice reviews!  
Enjoy!**_

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Seto's POV

I called Mokuba shortly after getting in the cab. I couldn't take not knowing what he was doing anymore. I wanted to know where he was, who he was with... and if he missed me as much as I missed him. But I could feel the small smile leave my lips when he answered the phone. There was loud music in the back. But you could barely hear the already deafening song over the screaming people.

"Mokuba?"  
"Oh, hey Seto!"  
His speech was slurred. I know he hasn't been drinking. He knows better! "Mokuba, where are you?!"  
"Woah! Calm your shit man. I'm fine."  
_Calm my shit? What is his problem?_ "That's it! I'm coming to get you! Where the hell are you, Mokuba?!"  
"Look. Seto. You need to take a _giant_ chill pill right now. I'm fine! Raven's here. It's all good!"  
"Raven's there?!" _I knew this had something to do with her. _"Listen. Stay right there. I'm coming to get you." I hung up after that and told the driver to take me to that dreadful place I'd left earlier.

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Mokuba's POV

I looked at my phone with hazy eyes.  
"What's wrong, Mokuba? Who was that?" Raven asked.  
"It was Seto." I said, shoving my phone back into my pocket and continuing to dance. It felt nice not to care.  
"Really? What did he say?" Raven was obviously more drunk than I was. She started leaning on me for support. So we got off of the car and sat inside of it instead.  
"He said he wanted to come and get me. But he sounded pissed."  
"Did you tell him not to?" She asked, she started to play in my hair. She was always like this when she was tipsy. Always a little more affectionate than necessary. Not that I minded.

"No. I didn't get a chance too." I said, pulling Raven close and just holding her. To be honest I was scared. After being away from Seto for so long, I didn't know him anymore. I didn't know his habits, or his behaviors, or if he really cared about me anymore. I guess you could say I've been trying to "replace his love" since we started drifting apart.

Suddenly Raven and I saw a yellow taxi pull up next to my car. And a very bitter-looking Seto Kaiba stepped out of it.

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_**A/N: Yaaay! It's a cliffhanger (I hope. lol). Review please! ~xoxo~**_


	5. Chapter 5

**_Here you go! I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh... blah blah._**

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"Oh my gosh is that Kaiba? Hiiiii, Kaiba!" Raven said, stumbling out of the car to greet my brother.  
I quickly got out and caught her just before she hit the ground. "You should probably hold still." I suggested.

Seto just stared at us. Unchanged and emotionless. I never thought I'd be the one on the other end of that cold, blank, poker face.  
"Hey bro." I said, hoping to get him to say something.  
"Mokuba. What is all this?" He asked after a little while. I knew what he was addressing. He was talking about my- no. Our behavior. About why we'd been avoiding each other. About why I hadn't quite been myself lately. But I -Mokuba Kaiba, boy genius- decided to play dumb.

"What are you talking about? It's just a party." I said and shrugged.  
Although his face remained unchanged, I could tell that he wasn't pleased with my answer at all.  
"I can smell alcohol in your breath." He commented, stepping toward us.  
"Well yeah! Of course you do! We _have_ been drinking! Silly..." Raven all but shouted. I rolled my eyes and advised her to be quiet.

"... You're coming home. Right now." He said after a short, odd pause.  
"No way! We get to ride home in that taxi cab? This is gonna be so fun! Mokuba, It'll be just like that time we-" I quickly clasped my hand over her mouth. Seto didn't need to know about... that.

As the cab's doors closed I remembered something. "Hey, Seto, what about my car?" I freaking love that car! I couldn't just leave it there. Oh, yeah... I guess I should be worried about my shirt too... Hm...  
"I'll have it towed." He stated simply.  
"Okay then." I said softly. I decided that now probably wasn't the best time to fight for the right to stay with my car. "I'll miss you." I whispered to it as we drove away.

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I practically ran into the large house known to all as the Kaiba mansion. That was one of the most awkward rides home ever! Especially with Raven constantly climbing in and out of my lap or complaining about how hot or cold she was. Not to mention all the times we had to stop and wait for her to throw up on the side of the road.

I sent her upstairs to clean herself up and watched her shuffle up the stairs while laughing silently. Seto spoke after we heard the bathroom door close.

"Mokuba Kaiba."  
"I know, I know. You're disappointed in me. I should know better. I shouldn't have-"

"Shouldn't have been out past your curfew?" He interrupted. "Why, yes Mokuba. That's exactly right!"  
"What? It's not a huge deal! And you act like I was out on a street corner!"  
He only gave me a look that said: _"You might as well have been."_

There was a long, unpleasant silence. It was broken by Raven coming out of our kitchen with some of my clothes on and a sandwich.  
I wondered when she came down the stairs and was about to ask her. But I wouldn't dare tear away from Seto's fierce glare.

"Hey you guys. You have any asprin?" She asked, she seemed to have sobered up.  
I was happy to see that she wasn't drunk anymore, but it wasn't the best time to tell her that. Thank goodness she took the hint and went back to the kitchen.

Seto and I just stared at each other. The looks we gave the other said everything and nothing all at the same time. So eventually we both went to our rooms, without so much as a "goodnight" or even "I'm sorry".

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11:30pm. Raven and I were finally settling down in my room. She was going to sleep in my bed while I occupied the surprisingly comfortable sofa on the other side of the bedroom. But there was a tired knock at the door.

I opened it to find a very sloppy-looking Seto Kaiba.

"Raven doesn't have to go home. But she _can not_ stay here." He said, sternly.  
Raven laughed her I-knew-this-was-coming laugh, gave me a quick kiss, and left my room with a sweet "Goodnight, Mokubaaa~!"

After she left I said, "You know, we weren't gonna _'keep you up'_, if that's what you're thinking."

That comment got me a free "Shut up, Mokuba." and an angry door slammed in my face.

Settling into my own bed I sighed. "...I love you too, bro..."

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_**Review for chapter... What chapter is this? It's like... 5 right? Oh well, IDK Lol! Just leave a review! It makes me happy! ^^ (please let me know of any errors you find!)**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Do I really NEED a disclaimer?  
**_

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A few weeks later, Raven and I talked about the incident. And we agreed on three things: 1- we must always have a designated driver when going to a party, 2- No more alcohol for Raven, and 3- perhaps I should see a therapist.

Of course Raven just had to crack a few jokes about how therapist spelled out "the" and "rapist". And I did my best not to think about that too much.

So we looked online and found a decent guy. I had appointments with him every Wednesday after school.

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My therapist, Dr. Wilson (though he prefered to be called Frank), suggested I keep a diary. But I thought that was a little too girly, so I'm calling it a journal. As of now, my journal is filled with poorly drawn duel monsters. There are a few sentences here and there about how I've tried to get Seto's attention by pouting a lot, and about how the whole party thing didn't go as planned, so I was taking another approach.

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"So, what did Dr. Rapist- I mean, Frank say about your... issue?" Raven asked, trying to hide her laughter as we walked along in the park.  
"He told me to think before I act. And to see if there was a 'less destructive' way to get my brother's attention..." I trailed off. Quite frankly, this was a lot more difficult than it looked. (Ha, franlky! And... you know... my therapist's name is Frank? Oh whatever... That was a pun and I know it!)

Raven went on to ask me why don't I just forget about Seto and start focusing on me and me alone (and of course her as well).  
But the thing is, I've tried to do just that. But I love my brother. And I don't think I can say that I really, truly do , unless I make sure he knows how I feel.

Once I made that clear, Raven was speechless. She turned and looked into my eyes. Those beautiful brown orbs said everything her mouth wanted to.  
"I'm sorry." They said. "I've never felt that way before. I always ignore anyone who doesn't acknowledge me . I've never fought for anyone's affections... ever..."  
"It's okay. I understand." I said, planting a chaste kiss on her cheek.

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"You really think this'll work?" She whispered, handing me an orange pen to do my math test in.  
"Well, if it doesn't,-"  
"No talking!" The teacher interrupted me.  
I shrugged implying the phrase "You get the point."  
Raven nodded, saying "Yeah, I got it."

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_**A/N: Sorry it's so short. But I didn't wanna put too much into one chapter. Reviews are greatly appreciated! ~x0x0~**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**ENJOY! (Don't sue me!)**_

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"Mokuba! Are you kidding me?!" My brother's voice roared.  
"Nope. That's mine." I confirmed his doubts as to who's F+ he was holding with an obnoxious and cheeky grin.  
"You were at the top of your class, Mokuba! What happened? Why would you do that!?" He shrieked.

I had half a mind to tell him that I purposely got that horrible grade because it was the only way he'd talk to me for more than 60 seconds. But the other half told me that I should just keep this up. After all it's not like he'd give a crap anyway. He'll be more worried about my grades and how I won't get into a good college. Figures. He probably just wants me in college so that he can finally be rid of me. I should've seen this coming.

"... because... of you..." I said quietly. My cheeky grin had left my face, only to be replaced by a depressed frown and watery eyes. _What? I didn't wanna say that? What happened to cheeky obnoxious Mokuba? Ugh, stupid __conscience..._

"What?" Seto sounded truly surprised. "That makes no sense." He said to me.  
"Actually it does." His eyes widened at my reply. "Seto... just hear me out." I started.  
"I'm listening." He said, leaning on his desk, his face somewhere between confused, tired, and pissed off.

" ... This is the longest conversation we've had in about 2 months..." I said, quietly.  
"Well... that still doesn't give you an excuse to-"  
"Seto, please! I understand that I don't have any excuses to ruin my school reputation, or act out this way, or have an attitude with you!" There were tears in my eyes. "But do you understand that this is the most attention I've gotten from you in a long, long time?!" I could feel the salty tears stream down my cheeks.

Seto just stared at me! His expression blank and unchanging. _What did I do to deserve this? _I thought as I felt the many tears falling on my shirt.

If there was one thing that Seto truly despised, it was being shouted at. And I'd just shouted at him.  
He walked toward me painfully slowly, with that icy glare that all the world knew a bit too well.

I wondered what would become of me. Would he hit me? Would he take away my car... again? Would he _hit _me?

But I found out soon enough as he stopped, leaving our bodies mere breaths apart. I flinched when I saw him move.

But I eventually melted into the tight, long-awaited embrace I received. _This._ This is all I wanted. I needed us to be like we used to be. Happy, calm, carefree. I missed the feeling of knowing that when it came crashing down he would be there. I sobbed into his shoulder.

He pulled back after my sobs became less violent.

"I... I am so sorry, Mokuba." He says in the most sincere voice he can.  
"Really?" I ask, still unsure.  
"Yes, of course!" He hugs me again. "I had no idea how much you were suffering." He holds me tighter. "The reason I started acting that way is because I thought you didn't need me anymore."  
I pull myself away from his hold on me so I can look at him. "Seto why would you think that? I could never _not_ need you!"

"Well, I thought you didn't. You were into everything else except me. I hadn't gotten a phone call from you in days. And the one time I did catch a glimpse of your face, you were with Raven and some other friends of yours. I figured that the reason I hadn't heard from you in a while was because you had forgotten about me. I thought you... moved on or something."

I couldn't help but laugh. "What is so funny about that?" He asked, his face twisted up in that way it did when he didn't understand something (which was very rare).  
"I think we had a serious misunderstanding of each other. I started distancing myself from you because you seemed so obsessed with work lately. You didn't comre home until 4 in the morning. And I didn't know how to talk to you anymore and-"

Seto smiled and cut me off with one last hug. "Well, how about this? We forget this happened. Make an effort to spend more time to gether. And we let the other know when we feel... left out."  
"And we let me drink more alcohol?" I suggested with a goofy smile and tearstained cheeks.  
He gave me a pat on the head. "Not even when you're 40." He said, smiling. I missed that simle. He wiped my teary face with his sleeve and guided me out of his office.

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_**A/N: I took your advice and made this chapter longer. I hope it was okay! ^^**_


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